Confirmation of Identity: uncovering the working methods of an artist-scribe in a fifteenth-century Hebrew prayer book using spectral imaging techniques

Questions of identity about the artists of Hebrew illuminated manuscripts and the implications for interpretation of figural art they contain have long interested scholars. This research applied non-invasive imaging and spectroscopic techniques to investigate aspects of the material production of the Oppenheimer Siddur, a 15th-century prayer book made for private family use. It revealed a close relationship between pigments used in text copying and artwork, confirming the hypothesis that the scribe was also the artist. This study shows that such non-invasive scientific techniques can contribute significant new information about Hebrew illuminated manuscript production, medieval Jewish artists and their working practices.